It does even more: because space can be in short supply when exiting a parking space, the new Park Assist also supports the driver in this situation up to a minimum available space of 50 cm in front of the vehicle. Park Assist utilises its 12 ultrasonic sensors (4 front, 4 rear, 2 right, 2 left / range 4.5 metres) to detect a sufficiently large parking space, and then assisted parking can begin: the driver engages reverse gear and then only needs to accelerate and brake. As you would expect for a Van range like the Sprinter, customer choice is virtually limitless, but the Van encompasses an approximate price range of between £21,500 and £41,500, which is a little more than what you'd pay for the likes of a Ford Transit, or Vauxhall Movano, but experience has shown that the Sprinter tends to make up for this over its whole life due to better reliability and beefier residuals. If any of these parts fails prepare to pay as little as $600 for a N0x sensor (there are two), or approximately $800-$1000 for an EGR valve, to a couple of thousand for a SCR catalytic converter (there are two) or a particulate filter (thankfully only one).
However, if there are no detectable lane markings, the system does not take any action. If there are indications that the car is leaving its lane, Lane Assist countersteers. Similarly, the driver can always "override" Lane Assist with minimal effort. In contrast to first generation systems, which exclusively supported parking parallel to the carriageway, the latest parking assistant also offers assisted perpendicular parking - i.e. at right angles to the driving lane. That is because it continually adapts damping to road conditions and the driving situation. If a person wants to take a road trip in absolute luxury across Europe, then forget the back seat of a Rolls-Royce or Mercedes-Benz Maybach S-Class, and check out the opulently appointed Sprinter from Carlex Design. The design team worked to infuse the W125's streamlined looks into a modern-day interpretation of a 1930s race car-a racer that went 268.8 mph on a one-kilometer stretch of the Autobahn.
The driver indicates the side of the carriageway for parking by activating the indicator for that side. Comprehensive optimisations were made to the system compared to the first generation: essentially, Park Assist now enables parking in especially short parking spaces within the scope of what is technically feasible (vehicle length plus 80 cm; previously plus 140 cm), in bends, on kerbs and between trees and other obstacles. When Lane Assist is switched on, this status is shown to the driver in the instruments by a yellow indicator symbol in the form of a driving lane. Afterwards, Lane Assist automatically takes effect starting at a speed of 65 km/h. Dynamic Light Assist makes manual switching between dipped and main beam headlights a thing of the past. In conjunction with a camera integrated behind the front windscreen, the main beam light modules - in this case of the necessary bi-xenon headlights (including standard cornering lights and LED daytime running lights) - are individually dipped in specific areas in which the system has analysed potential glare to other vehicles in traffic.
For the first time, this system can also brake the car actively in case of impending collisions. Visually, every E-Class can be ordered in either traditional Luxury trim with a four-slat grille and a monochrome interior highlighted by Burl Walnut, or with a no-charge Sport package that adds cross-drilled front brake discs hiding behind different 17-inch wheels, a three-bar grille, LED running lights, and a two-tone interior with aluminum accents. Even the charging socket has found its place behind the flap usually concealing the fuel filler pipe in the lower section of the B-pillar on the left side of the vehicle. Later this year it will add a new vehicle to its Alabama car plant, and also build sport-utility vehicles with a contract manufacturer in Indiana. Big Brother is coming to cars, with Mercedes-Benz confirming its next-generation Sprinter van will be fitted with a real-time data logging system so managers can keep an eye on their drivers.
